CTNF 18/383,049 CTNF 79655 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Election/Restrictions Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention I, Species 1 in the reply filed on April 23, 2026 is acknowledged. Claims 12-20 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected Invention II and Species 2, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Accordingly, claim 1-11 are ready for examination. Claim Objections 07-29-01 AIA Claim (s) 2-11 is/are objected to because of the following informalities: With respect to claim 2, “at least one line number identification pattern” recited in line 2 should read “the at least one line number identification pattern” and “on the one line” in line 2 should read “on the at least one line”. With respect to claim 3, “at least one line number identification pattern” recited in line 2 should read “the at least one line number identification pattern”. Claims 4-11, which either directly or indirectly depend from claim 3, and which inherit issues of claim 3 are objected for similar reasons. With respect to claim 4, “on the one line” in lines 2-3 should read “on the at least one line”. Claims 5-11 which either directly or indirectly depend from claim 4 and which inherit issues of claim 4 are objected to for similar reason. With respect to claim 8, “ at least one line” in line 2 should read “the at least one line”. With respect to claim 9, “ at least one line” in line 2 should read “the at least one line”. With respect to claim 10, in lines 4-5 “of the same material on the same layer … through the same pattering process” should read “of a same material and on a same layer … through a same patterning process”, as these terms have not been previously introduced. Claim 11 which directly depends from claim 10 and which inherits issues of claim 10 is objected to for similar reasons . Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 07-30-02 AIA The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. 07-34-01 Claim(s) 10-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. With respect to claim 10, as currently presented the claim requires that “at least one line number identification pattern [be] formed on the at least one gate control line” in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For purpose of compact prosecution, “the at least one gate control line” will be treated as “the at least one line among the plurality of gate control lines”. Claim 11 which directly depends from claim 10 and which inherits issues of claim 10 is rejected for similar reasons. With respect to claim 11, as currently presented the claim requires that “the at least one fan out line … [be] made of the same material … as a gate electrode … of a thin film transistor”. It is unclear, however, if the recited “a gate electrode” and “a thin film transistor” were intended to relate back to “a gate electrode” and “a thin film transistor” recited in claim 10 or to set forth an additional gate electrode and thin film transistor. Moreover, it is unclear if “at least one fan-out line among the plurality of fan-out lines” was intended to related back to “the at least one line among the plurality of fan-out lines” introduced in claim 1 or set forth an additional at least one fan-out line. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – 07-08-aia AIA (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. 07-15-aia AIA Claim(s) 1-4 and 6-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee (US 2018/0107037, hereinafter “Lee”) . Regarding claim 1, Lee teaches in Figs. 4-7 (Fig. 4 and annotated Fig. 7 shown below) , and related text, a display device comprising: a plurality of sub-pixels (e.g. PX, Fig. 4 and ¶[0049]) formed in a display area (DA, Fig. 4, and ¶[0049]) of a display panel; a plurality of gate lines (GL, Fig. 4 and ¶[0049) and a plurality of data lines (DL, Fig. 4 and ¶[0049) electrically connected to the plurality of sub-pixels (¶[0049]) ; a plurality of fan-out lines (e.g. data fan-out wiring DF, annotated Fig. 7 and ¶¶[0044] and [0051]) formed in a non-display area of the display panel to be electrically connected to the plurality of data lines (DL, Fig. 4 and annotated Fig. 7) ; a plurality of gate control lines (GF, annotated Fig. 7 and ¶[0045]) electrically connected to a gate driver (200, Fig. 4 and ¶[0049]) formed in the non-display area; and at least one line number identification pattern (115h, annotated Fig. 7 and ¶[0069]) formed on at least one line among the plurality of gate lines, the plurality of data lines, the plurality of fan-out lines, and the plurality of gate control lines (annotated Fig. 7) , wherein the line number identification pattern represents a line number for the at least one line (¶¶[0068]-[0070]) . PNG media_image1.png 457 518 media_image1.png Greyscale [AltContent: textbox (2nd identification pattern )] [AltContent: arrow] [AltContent: textbox (1st identification pattern )] [AltContent: arrow] [AltContent: connector] [AltContent: connector] [AltContent: arrow] [AltContent: textbox (2nd width)] [AltContent: textbox (1st width)] [AltContent: textbox (3rd width)] [AltContent: arrow] [AltContent: connector] [AltContent: arrow] [AltContent: arrow] [AltContent: arrow] [AltContent: arrow] [AltContent: textbox ((Annotated Figure))] PNG media_image2.png 779 465 media_image2.png Greyscale Regarding claim 2 (1), Lee teaches wherein the at least one line number identification pattern (115h, annotated Fig. 7 and ¶[0068]) is formed on the at least one line as a wide portion that is wider than the at least one line (i.e. data line in area 115 is wider the portion of data line in DF, annotated Fig. 7) , wherein there is a group (e.g. group of patterns, numbers, symbols, letter, annotated Fig. 7 and ¶[0064]) formed of at least one wide portion on the at least one line to represent the line number (¶[0063]) . Regarding claim 3 (1), Lee teaches wherein the at least one line number identification pattern comprises a first identification pattern having either a square shape or a rectangular shape (i.e. 115 has rectangular shape, annotated Fig. 7, or, under different interpretation the first number of the identification number has a rectangular shape, Fig. 7) . Regarding claim 4 (3), Lee further teaches a second identification pattern having a rectangular shape formed on the at least one line (i.e. second number 1 of the identification number has a rectangular shape, annotated Fig. 7) . Regarding claim 6 (4), Lee teaches wherein a number of the first identification patterns on the at least one line represents a line number (i.e. the first identification patterns represent number 11, annotated Fig. 7) . Regarding claim 7 (4), Lee teaches wherein the second identification pattern has a length or shape different from the first identification pattern so that the second identification pattern is recognized as predetermined number (i.e. the second identification pattern, such as, number 5, has a different shape from the first identification patter, such as, number 1, and is recognized as a predetermined number, annotated Fig. 7) . Regarding claim 8 (4), Lee teaches wherein the at least one line has a first width (e.g. 1 st width, annotated Fig. 7) , wherein the first and second identification patterns (i.e. the first two numbers, Fig. 7) are formed to have a second width (e.g. 2 nd width, annotated Fig. 7) greater than the first width (annotated Fig. 7) , wherein an edge of at least one of the first and second identification patterns extends beyond an edge of the at least one line by a third width (i.e. 3 rd width, annotated Fig. 7) , and wherein the third width is smaller than the first width (annotated Fig. 7) . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 07-20-aia AIA The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee as applied to claim 4 above . Regarding claim 5 (4), teaching of Lee was discussed above in the rejection of claim 1 and includes wherein the at least one line number identification pattern comprises a first identification patterns (annotated Fig. 7) , and the first identification pattern is spaced apart from the second identification pattern (i.e. the first two numbers are spaced from each other, annotated Fig. 7) . Lee, however, does not explicitly teach that the first identification pattern includes a plurality of first identification patterns spaced apart from each other. Nonetheless, including another first identification pattern (e.g. another number one next to the first number one, annotated Fig. 7) in the device disclosed by Lee, so that the plurality of first identification patterns are spaced apart from each other would have been within capabilities of one of ordinary skill in the art in order to create a unique identification number (e.g. 111520, annotated Fig. 7) . Thus, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains to include a plurality of first identification patterns spaced apart from each other in the display device disclosed by Lee in order to create a unique overall identification number . 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 3-4 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee as applied to claim 1 above (under a different interpretation from that used above), and further in view of Fulford et al. (US 2021/0351053, hereinafter “Fulford”) . Regarding claim 3 (1), teaching of Lee was discussed above in the rejection of claim 1 and includes at least one line number identification pattern formed on at least one line, wherein the line number identification pattern represents a line number for the at least one line. Lee, however, does not explicitly teach that the at least one line number identification pattern comprises a first identification pattern having either a square shape or a rectangular shape. Fulford, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches in Figs. 8-11 (annotated Fig. 9 shown below) and related text, that conductive lines, similar to those disclosed by Lee, can include line number identification pattern that includes a first identification pattern having either a square shape or a rectangular shape in order to provide number identification for a given conductive line (¶[0040]) . Thus, since the prior art teaches all of the claim elements, using such elements would lead to predictable results, and as such, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains to use the number identification pattern that comprises a first identification pattern having a square shape, as disclosed by Fulford, in the display device disclosed by Lee in order to provide number identification for a conductive line. [AltContent: textbox (2nd width)] [AltContent: arrow] [AltContent: textbox (1st width)] [AltContent: arrow] [AltContent: textbox (2nd identification pattern )] [AltContent: textbox (1st identification pattern having a square shape)] [AltContent: arrow] [AltContent: arrow] [AltContent: textbox ((Annotated Figure))] PNG media_image3.png 294 446 media_image3.png Greyscale [AltContent: arrow] Regarding claim 4 (3), the combined teaching of Lee and Fulford further teaches a second identification pattern (Fulford, annotated Fig. 9) . While Fulford does not explicitly teach in the annotated Fig. 9 that the second identification pattern has a rectangular shape, Fulford teaches that the identification patterns (i.e. blocks, ¶[0040]) can be resized as needed which would allow to form a identification pattern having rectangular shape as shown in Fig. 10. Thus, since the prior art teaches all of the claim elements, using such elements would lead to predictable results, and as such, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains to resize the second identification pattern disclosed by Lee and Fulford so that it has a rectangular shape, in order to provide desired number identification for the conductive line. Regarding claim 9 (4), the combined teaching of Lee and Fulford discloses herein the at least one line has a first width (Fulford, annotated Fig. 9) , wherein the first and second identification patterns are formed to have a second width greater than the first width (Fulford, annotated Fig. 9) , wherein an edge of at least one of the first and second identification patterns extends beyond an edge of the at least one line by at least a third width (i.e. width of the portion of first and second identification patterns that extend beyond the width of the first width, Fulford, annotated Fig. 9) along two sides of the at least one line (Fulford, annotated Fig. 9) , and wherein the third width is smaller than the first width (Fulford, annotated Fig. 9) . 07-22-aia AIA Claim (s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee or Lee and Fulford , as applied to claim 4 above, and further in view of RO et al. (US 2014/0184969, hereinafter “RO”) . Regarding claim 10 (4), teaching of Lee or Lee and Fulford, was discussed above in the rejection of claim 4, and includes a teaching by Fulford of the conductive lines being on any of the metallization levels of the device (¶[0045]) . Lee or Lee and Fulford, however, do not explicitly teach wherein the plurality of gate control lines and the at least one line number identification pattern formed on the at least one gate control line among the plurality of gate control lines are made of the same material on the same layer as a gate electrode through the same patterning process as the gate electrode of a thin film transistor included in a sub-pixel of the display area. To begin with, forming line number identification pattern disclosed by Lee or Lee and Fulford on the gate control lines instead of data lines would have been within the capabilities of one of ordinary skill in the art as it would amount to nothing more than using the same technique for providing identification patterns on the gate control lines. Moreover, RO in a similar field of endeavor teaches that gate control lines and gate electrode of the transistors can be formed on a same layer and of a same material through a same patterning process (¶¶[0043] and [0051]) in order to simplify manufacturing process of the device. Thus, since the prior art teaches all of the claim elements, using such elements would lead to predictable results, and as such, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains to form the at least one line number identification pattern disclosed by Lee or Lee and Fulford, on the gate control line, wherein the gate control line is made of the same materials and on the same layer as the gate electrode of the transistors through a same patterning process in order to simplify manufacturing process of the device . 07-22-aia AIA Claim (s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee and RO or Lee, Fulford and RO , as applied to claim 10 above, and further in view of Kim et al. (US 2023/0200195, hereinafter “Kim”) . Regarding claim 11 (10), the combined teaching of Lee and RO or Lee, Fulford and RO, was discussed above in the rejection of claim 10, and includes a teaching by Fulford of the conductive lines being on any of the metallization levels of the device (¶[0045]) . Lee or RO or Lee, Fulford and RO, however, do not explicitly teach wherein the plurality of fan-out lines and the at least one line number identification pattern formed on the at least one fan-out line among the plurality of fan-out lines are made of the same material on the same layer as a gate electrode through the same patterning process as the gate electrode of a thin film transistor included in a sub-pixel of the display area. To begin with forming line number identification pattern disclosed by Lee and RO or Lee, Fulford and RO on the fan-out lines instead of data lines would have been within the capabilities of one of ordinary skill in the art as it would amount to nothing more than using the same technique for providing identification patterns on the fan-out lines. Moreover, Kim in a similar field of endeavor teaches that fan-out lines (which are part of the data lines in the non-display area) and gate electrode of the transistors can be formed on a same layer and of a same material through a same patterning process (¶[0074]) in order to simplify manufacturing process of the device. Thus, since the prior art teaches all of the claim elements, using such elements would lead to predictable results, and as such, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains to form the at least one line number identification pattern disclosed by Lee and RO or Lee, Fulford and RO, on the fan-out line, wherein the fan-out line is made of the same materials and on the same layer as the gate electrode of the transistors through the same patterning process in order to simplify manufacturing process of the device. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANETA B CIESLEWICZ whose telephone number is 303-297-4232. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM. 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If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /A.B.C/Examiner, Art Unit 2893 /SUE A PURVIS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2893 Application/Control Number: 18/383,049 Page 2 Art Unit: 2893 Application/Control Number: 18/383,049 Page 3 Art Unit: 2893 Application/Control Number: 18/383,049 Page 4 Art Unit: 2893 Application/Control Number: 18/383,049 Page 5 Art Unit: 2893 Application/Control Number: 18/383,049 Page 6 Art Unit: 2893 Application/Control Number: 18/383,049 Page 7 Art Unit: 2893 Application/Control Number: 18/383,049 Page 8 Art Unit: 2893 Application/Control Number: 18/383,049 Page 9 Art Unit: 2893 Application/Control Number: 18/383,049 Page 10 Art Unit: 2893 Application/Control Number: 18/383,049 Page 11 Art Unit: 2893 Application/Control Number: 18/383,049 Page 12 Art Unit: 2893 Application/Control Number: 18/383,049 Page 13 Art Unit: 2893 Application/Control Number: 18/383,049 Page 14 Art Unit: 2893
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